Posts
Isaiah: A Prophet for All Seasons
Chapters 36-39
by Samuel E. Ward
Introduction
We have studied three major sections of Isaiah's book.
I. God's Message to Judah and Jerusalem, Isa 1-12
II. God's Messages to the Foreign Nations, Isa 13-23
III. God's Message to the World, Isa 24-27.
IV. God's Message for Those Under the Threat of Assyria, Isa 28-35
The next major section in Isaiah is . . .
V. A Historical Interlude, Isa 36-39
A. The Assyrian Problem, Isa 26-37
1. The Prophetic Message Concerning Assyria, Isa 8:4-8
Isaiah 8:4-8 (NIV) 4Before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria." 5The LORD spoke to me again: 6 "Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River—the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks 8and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!"
2. The Meeting at the Aqueduct, Isa 36.
Isaiah 36:1-2 (NIV) 1In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 2Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem [and] the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field.
a. The key participants, Isa 36:2-3
Isaiah 36:2a, 3 (NIV) 2aThen the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. . . .3 a[and] Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him.
b. The critical conversation, Isa 36:4-21
1) The Assyrian challenge, Isa 36:4-10
a) You lack the resources to resist, Isa 36:4-6.
Isaiah 36:4-6 (NIV) 4The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah, "'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 5You say you have strategy and military strength—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 6Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man's hand and wounds him if he leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him.
b) The LORD your God has not been able to defeat us,
Isa 36:7.
Isaiah 36:7 (NIV) 7And if you say to me, "We are depending on the LORD our God"—isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar"?
c) You are powerless against the least of our officers,
Isa 36:8-9.
Isaiah 36:8-9 (NIV) 8"'Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 9How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master's officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
d) In fact, your God has told us to destroy you, Isa 36:10.
Isaiah 36:10 (NIV) 10Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.'"
2) The delegates' concern: the people would panic at the field commander's words, Isa 36:11.
Isaiah 36:11 (NIV) 11Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall."
3) The Assyrian response in Aramaic, Isa 36:12-20
a) The people should hear since they must bear the consequences of the decision, Isa 36:12.
Isaiah 36:12 (NIV) 12But the commander replied, "Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the men sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine?"
b) The people should not listen to King Hezekiah's pointless call to trust in the LORD, Isa 36:13-15
Isaiah 36:13-15 (NIV) 13Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! 15Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, 'The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'
c) The people should surrender and have peace until they are deported, Isa 36:16-17.
Isaiah 36:16-17 (NIV) 16"Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 17until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
d) The people should not be misled by King Hezekiah into hoping in a God Who has not been able to stop the Assyrians yet, Isa 36:18-20.
Isaiah 36:18-20 (NIV) 18"Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, 'The LORD will deliver us.' Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 20Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"
4) The people's response: silence according to the King Hezekiah's command, Isa 36:21.
Isaiah 36:21 (NIV) 21But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, "Do not answer him."
5) The delegates' mournful report to Hezekiah, Isa 36:22.
Isaiah 36:22 (NIV) 22Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said.
3. The Distress of the King, Isa 37:1-6
a. Hezekiah mourned, Isa 37:1a.
Isaiah 37:1a (NIV) 1aWhen King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth.
b. Hezekiah went to the temple of the LORD, Isa 37:1b
Isaiah 37:1b (NIV) 1b[Hezekiah] went into the temple of the LORD.
c. Hezekiah sought the Lord's will, Isa 37:2-6.
1) He sent his advisors to Isaiah in mourning attire, Isa 37:2
Isaiah 37:2 (NIV) 2He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.
2) He sent his concerns to Isaiah to petition the Lord,
Isa 37:3-6
a) We are in a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace,
Isa 37:3a.
Isaiah 37:3a (NIV) 3aThey told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth.
b) We are helpless to defend ourselves, Isa 37:3b.
Isaiah 37:3b (NIV) 3bThere is no strength to deliver them.
c) I am hoping God will defend His own honor, Isa 37:4a.
Isaiah 37:4a-c (NIV) 4aIt may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard.
d) We seek for God's mercy upon the survivors, Isa 37:4d.
Isaiah 37:4 (NIV) 4dTherefore pray for the remnant that still survives."
4. The Answer from God, Isa 37:5-8.
a. Do not be afraid of the blasphemous words of the Assyrians,
Isa 37:5-6.
Isaiah 37:5-6 (NIV) 5When King Hezekiah's officials came to Isaiah, 6Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, 'This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
b. Watch and see how God sends the King of Assyria home to his own death, Isa 37:7.
Isaiah 37:7 (NIV) 7Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.'"
5. The Withdrawal of the Assyrians with a Promise to Return,
Isa 37-8-13.
a. The withdrawal was necessitated by the advance of the Egyptians against the king of Assyria, 37:8-9a.
Isaiah 37:8-9a (NIV) 8When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. 9aNow Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king _of Egypt_, was marching out to fight against him.
b. The promise to return was sent in a letter to Hezekiah and designed to keep Judah in terror, Isa 37:9b-13.
Isaiah 37:9b-13 (NIV) 9bWhen [Sennacherib] heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10"Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, 'Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.' 11Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?"
6. The Withdrawal of Hezekiah to the Temple with the Letter to Pray, Isa 37:14-38
a. The prayer, Isa 37:14-20
Isaiah 37:14-20 (NIV) 14Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 15And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: 16"O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. 18"It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. 19They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 20Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God."
b. The promise, Isa 37:21-35
1) Sennacherib's sin, Isa 36:23.
Isaiah 37:23 (NIV) 23 Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
2) God's condemnation, Isa 36:29
Isaiah 37:29 (NIV) 29Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.
c. The answer, Isa 37:36-38
Isaiah 37:36-38 (NIV) 36Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. 38One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king
B. Hezekiah's Illness, Isa 38
1. Isaiah's Troubling Announcement, Isa 38:1.
Isaiah 38:1 (NIV) 1In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."
2. Hezekiah's Tearful Prayer, Isa 38:2-3
Isaiah 38:2-3 (NIV) 2Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3"Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
3. The Lord's Tender Reply, Isa 38:4-8.
Isaiah 38:4-8 (NIV) 4Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: 5"Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city. 7"'This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: 8I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.'" So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.
4. Hezekiah's Testimonial Psalm, Isa 38:9-20.
In this psalm we read about . . .
a. The baring of Hezekiah's soul before God, Isa 38:9-14
Isaiah 38:9-14 (NIV) 9A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10I said, "In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?" 11I said, "I will not again see the LORD, the LORD, in the land of the living; no longer will I look on mankind, or be with those who now dwell in this world. 12Like a shepherd's tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up my life, and he has cut me off from the loom; day and night you made an end of me. 13I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion he broke all my bones; day and night you made an end of me. 14I cried like a swift or thrush, I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am troubled; O Lord, come to my aid!"
b. The bearing of Hezekiah's burden by God, Isa 38:15-17
Isaiah 38:15-17 (NIV) 15But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul. 16Lord, by such things men live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live. 17Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.
c. The bearing of praise before Hezekiah's people, Isa 38:18-19
Isaiah 38:18-19 (NIV) 18For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. 19The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; fathers tell their children about your faithfulness.
d. The bearing of praise before Hezekiah's God, Isa 38:20
Isaiah 38:20 (NIV) 20The LORD will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the LORD.
5. A Word of Reminder, Isa 38:21-22.
This story of Hezekiah's recovery began with Isaiah's remedy for Hezekiah's illness and Hezekiah's need for assurance of God's promises of deliverance.
Isaiah 38:21-22 (NIV) 21Isaiah had said, "Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover." 22Hezekiah had asked, "What will be the sign that I will go up to the temple of the LORD?"
C. Hezekiah's Folly, Isa 39
1. An "Innocent?" Inquiry and Expression of Good Will, Isa 39:1
Isaiah 39:1 (NIV) 1At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery.
Many commentators present a rather cynical interpretation of this visit by the son of Baladan, King of Babylon. Hezekiah's recovery seems to them a perfect opportunity for Babylon to add an ally in Judah in case they have to deal with Assyria. The promise of Hezekiah's deliverance from Assyria was still at least two years away from fulfillment, so naturally there was tension still in the region.
2. An Ill-advised Tour, Isa 39:2
Isaiah 39:2 (NIV) 2Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
3. A Skeptical Prophet's Inquiry, Isa 39:3-4
Isaiah 39:3-4 (NIV) 3Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, "What did those men say, and where did they come from?" "From a distant land," Hezekiah replied. "They came to me from Babylon." 4The prophet asked, "What did they see in your palace?" "They saw everything in my palace," Hezekiah said. "There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them."
4. An Unintended Consequence, Isa 39:5-7
Isaiah 39:5-7 (NIV) 5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: 6The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 7And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."
5. An Acknowledgement by Hezekiah of God's Grace Towards him, Isa 39:8
Isaiah 39:8 (NIV) 8"The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."
Relevance
1.When it comes to the discipline of God's children, delay is not to be construed as sin being viewed by God as trivial. It is rather the exercise of His mercy and patience toward us in hope that we would repent before He must exercise discipline, 1 Cor 11:32
1 Corinthians 11:31-32 ( NIV ) 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world..
2. Our spiritual enemy, Satan, likes to confront us with our weakness, making us believe that it is hopeless to resist and surrender is our only option. When Satan appears with such lies the biblical injunction is to resist the devil, come near to God, and cleanse ourselves of sin, James 4:7-8.
James 4:7-8 ( NIV ) 7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double–minded.
3. God has promised to give us the victory over the world which is the present-day spiritual Assyria. The world is trying to intimidate Christians into submission. Our duty is to love God, obey Him, and see our faith in Him overcome the world, 1 John 5:3-5.
1 John 5:3-5 (NIV) 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
4. The key to overcoming our anxieties and fears is not to lean upon our own ingenuity, but to humbly cast them before God. He cares for us and will lift us up to reveal His glory. Always remember that God has a better view of what and who threatens us, 1 Pet 5:6-8.
1 Peter 5:6-8 (NIV) 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
5. God is always moved to compassion in our time of need. But the answer we seek is not always the best answer, Matt 26:39; 2 Cor 12:7-9.
Matthew 26:39 (NIV) 39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (NIV) 7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
6. In our drive to compete with the world for status, it is tempting to flaunt the blessings of the Lord as of our own doing. 2 Chr 32:31, 25, 27.
2 Chronicles 32:31 (NIV) 31But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.
2 Chronicles 32:25, 27 (NIV) 25But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD's wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem . . . 27Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables.
When we are blessed by the Lord, He deserves the praise and thanksgiving. Without Him, we have nothing.
